Isthmus Cover - Eldonna Hazen

I photographed Rev. Eldonna Hazen for an Isthmus cover story. Rev Hazen is the first woman and openly gay minister at Madison's First Congregational Church. She is the beloved leader and advocate for acceptance of all people in her congregation.

Read the full story on the Isthmus Daily Page web site.

Wisconsin Public Radio's 45 North with Anne Strainchamps

I had the good fortune to be hired to photograph  Anne Strainchamps, the host of the new Wisconsin Public Radio show called 45 North  for a story in the Isthmus Newspaper.   The show explores music and literature and the idea of a sense of place.  The show was name for the fact that the 45th parallel runs through northern Wisconsin.

It was my first time to the WPR Studios on the UW-Madison Campus.   I immediately got a good vibe from the place, and the people were super nice and friendly.  Meeting Ms. Strainchamps was a bit strange at first though.  Not because there's anything strange about her, but simply because her voice is so familiar to me as a regular listener of To The Best of Our Knowledge.  I quickly set up a light and made a few portraits before heading to the studio for the 9:00am start.  Fortunately the first segment of the show was a taped interview which gave me ample time to get in-studio images.

Anne's first guest was Wisconsin author David Rhodes, who just published a new book called "Jewelweed", the follow-up to his bestselling novel, "Driftless". It was nice to hang and listen to them discuss the rundown of the show and life in small towns. The second hour was the Klezmer Sound Salon with five time grammy-nominated producer, performer (and funny man) Henry Sapoznik.  Mr. Sapoznik is the Executive Director of the Mayrent Institute at the UW Madison and an expert on Yiddish music and folk culture.

This was a really enjoyable assignment. I loved being in the media production/live broadcast environment. After my nerves calmed down (and the sweating stopped), I got into a nice grove and was quite happy with the results. Isthmus gave me a three image spread with the article which was a bonus. I'm a proud member of WPR too!

Mother Earth for Earth Day

Vi is a retired school teacher who loves to dress up in costumes and crash events around town.  I first photographed Vi last month at Madison's annual St. Patrick's Day Parade where she was the self-appointed Ms.Ireland.  I caught up with her at the annual Isthmus Green Day celebration where she was Mother Earth.   She told me that after she retired she didn't want to just sit at home, so she's been dressing up and hitting the town ever since.  

Her outfits are quite elaborate and she has amazing accessories.  Her hat was springing with flowers and feathers and even a bird. Still an educator in retirement, she'll ask you what type of bird is in that hat.  I was a little thrown off by the bluish color on the wings and guessed wrong.   It's a Robin of course.  

If you ever see Vi out at an event (you can't miss her) be sure to stop and say hi.  She loves to have her picture taken and quite enjoys chatting with folks.   I think it's a great way to spend one's retirement.

Red Dragon TV - Ishmus

A photo session with Ari John (A.J.) White Wolf the creator of Red Dragon TV, a one man web television production company in Madison. As you walk into the old converted storefront, you see red. The interior of the production studio is painted red, which gives it a warm almost theatrical feeling.  His studio and control room is quite sophisticated giving him the ability to broadcast live over the Internet.  It's a very impressive setup and even more impressive that he's spending mostly his own money to make this available to the Madison community.

Lighting was a bit of a challenge given the darkness of the studio, but it gave me the opportunity to use my newly purchased second hand Manfrotto monopod which did the trick to steady the camera in the low light. In many casese, the incandescent studio lighting for the performance space worked just fine. I used a single speedlite and umbrella for the formal portrait on the stool and outside in front of the building.

Read the full Isthmus article here.

 

While I was at the studio Stephen Lee Rich, a "local singer/songwriter, yodeler, comedian, harmless crazy person", showed up with a few folks to tape segments for a comedy show he's producing.  It's was silly fun with a lot of banter and bad puns flying around the room.   Who knew all this was going on in Madison?

Soga - The Isthmus Review Is In

The Isthmus review for Soga Shabu Shabu came out today and thankfully it was glowing.

After all the food they gave me during the photo shoot this past Saturday, I was hoping it would be good. Read the full review here and below are some images of the other dishes I photographed. Besides the Shabu Shabu, I think my favorite was the Spicy Salad.

Spicy Salad

Pig Ears

Poached Fish in Spicy Sauce

(#18 on menu says Chicken, but it's a typo.)

Soga Food Review Photo Shoot & Feast

I did a food shoot for an upcoming review of Soga Shabu Shabu restaurant on State Street for Isthmus today. The photo editor gave me five dishes were reviewed in the article. I showed the list to Xiaoling (aka Rene) and Seya since it seemed that English wasn't their strong suit. I asked for one or two dishes to work with. They being eager to please types, I got all six! Fried duck, sliced pig ears, poached fish, spicy salad and their specialty shabu-shabu not to mention bubble tea and an alcohol-laden tropical fruit drink.


After I completed the assignment, they insisted I sit down and eat. I had never heard of shabu-shabu before. It's an interactive dish popular in Japan and Korea that let's you do the cooking. You get a boiling pot of broth (one side spicy the other not) in which you cook the thinly slice pieces of fatty beef and a heaping plate of vegetables. Xiaoling being the good host, sat down across from me and did the cooking. Like a doting mother, she kept heaping samples of all the dishes on my plate. I tried several times to quit, but my pleas for mercy went unheeded. I must admit I didn't try too hard since the food was all quite tasty...though I wasn't the biggest fan of the pig ears. Kind of rubbery.

It was all a wonderful experience and for a moment I imagined I was actually traveling in China being treated to Xiaoling's hospitality in her own kitchen.

I sure hope the Isthmus gives them a good review after all the trouble and expense they went for me to make a photo. We'll find out on Thursday and I'll post the link to the article and a few images from today's session.  Fingers crossed! 

*UPDATE:  See next post on results of the review and more images.

Isthmus Cover: Kevin Kennedy, WI Government Accountability Board

My first cover for Isthmus newspaper of Kevin Kennedy, Director and General Counsel of the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board who overseas the elections in Wisconsin.   With all the regular and recall elections in the past two years, it's been quite a challenging time for Mr. Kennedy.  Read full article on Ishmus' The Daily Page.

The photo editor at the Isthmus gave me a few ideas she had in mind for the cover including having Mr. Kennedy at a voting booth.   I arranged with the clerk's office to pick one up the day before the shoot.  Unfortunately they gave me a wheelchair accessible booth which was a simple plain black and gray one on short legs...Mr. Kennedy is over 6ft tall.   It didn't come with the standard privacy panels with "Vote" and the American Flag  on the sides either.   Not very interesting for a prop.   I had to opt for plan B.

Produced in my tight apartment studio downtown, I gelled my lights with red and blue on the backdrop to denote the colors of the two dominant political parties. The GAB is supposed to be a non-partisan body.  It worked well with Mr. Kennedy's purple tie which he was all too aware of the potential fallout if he were to have worn a red or blue tie.   I experimented a bit with different lighting to fit the article headline asking if we can trust this man.   The editor picked the a split tonal of his facing half in the light and half shadow.

It turned out well I thought, though I must say that this version didn't quite fit the Mr. Kennedy I met in person.  He was easy going, patient and with a good sense of humor. He was very easy to work with and seemed comfortable in front of the camera.  Even with all the stress of the pending presidential and contentious statewide elections just a little over a week away, he managed to have an upbeat and positive attitude.

Once again I am reminded of one of the major perks of being of photographer is the opportunity to meet a interesting people doing interesting things.  May it continue.... 

Isthmus Indie Awards - Jeff Maurer / Markus Candinas

Isthmus called me to make portraits of Isthmus Independent Business Award winners Jeff Maurer of Fresh Madison Market and Markus Candinas of Candinas Chocolatier for their contributions to the community as independent business owners in Madison, WI.

Jeff Maurer - Fresh Madison Market
Jeff has brought a beautiful full service gourmet grocery store to downtown located in the University Square complex serving the UW Campus. This past summer he also launched Freshmobile, a 44-foot long trailer mobile grocery store to bring fresh produce to areas of Madison without convenient access to groceries also know as food deserts.

When I met with Jeff to make the portrait at the store, I could tell he was busy man, and I needed to be quick in getting the job done. To keep a low profile and out of the way of customers, I set up a single light with an SBII mini-softbox in the produce section next to the wall of windows. This was to allow some natural north light to balance out with the flash. I grabbed Jeff took several shots and was done within 15 minutes.

Markus Candinas - Candinas Chocolates

After a 3 year apprenticeship in Switzerland and 2 years heading up the pastry and chocolate division for a 125 year-old business, Markus opened Candinas Chocolatier in 1994. He has won many awards and accolades ever since and has expanded his offering through his downtown Madison retail store on the Capitol Square.

I met Markus at his downtown chocolate shop in the morning. The decor is simple and clean with the chocolate showcase counter being the focus. We had a nice chat about retail business (I owned one for 7 years myself) and he offered me some delish samples of his chocolates. Markus was laid back and soft spoken and very nice to work with. He was patient while I was having a little difficulty getting the light so it wouldn't reflect in the glass of the case and the prints on the wall. I managed in the end and like the results.

 

Read the full Isthmus Article here.

Food Photography - Happy Grill Isthmus Restaurant Review

I like doing the food photography for restaurant reviews. Not only is it a challenge as I'm usually doing it on location and on a tight schedule, but it often comes with the reward of getting to eat what I photograph. I did this last minute shoot of theese Enchiladas Verde dish for an Isthmus review of the new Mexican restaurant in Madison by the name of Happy Grill. The atmosphere needs a little help, but the enchiladas where quite tasty.

When I got the assignment and read the name, I automatically assumed it was Chinese and not Mexican food, but it all made sense when I arrived to find the co-owner Li He, is Asian. She greeted me at the door with suspicion when I attempted to explain my purpose there. After finally convincing her that the review and my photography was "free", she brought me out the enchiladas. This kind of food with sauces can be difficult to photograph. I set up in a corner where there was plenty of natural light coming in from the large pane windows, set up a speedlite with a Lumiquest Softbox II camera left behind the dish. It was an relatively easy set-up which allowed me to quickly get the shot before the cheese melted down and losing the nice texture on top of the Enchiladas.

This type of work isn't extremely exciting, but I like it. It gives me the opportunity to visit different restaurants, occasionally meet interesting folks in the community and most of all...a complimentary meal to boot. The full review of the Happy Grill can be found here.

Local Soul Caliber V Gamers Featured in Isthmus

A couple of weeks ago, I got a call from Isthmus asking if I'd be interested in hanging out at the Ten Pin Bowling Alley in Fitchburg, WI and make some photographs of a group of gamers. At first I was told it was a Saturday night by the photo editor, but found out it was Sunday night instead. Always good to confirm place and time with your point person/subject before showing up at a venue.

 I thought this might be interesting. I've never been much for video games since the old days when I had to put a quarter in a slot at the arcade to play and even then my choices were Pac Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Space Aliens or Tetris. Soul Calibur V is a bit more complicated and they even had Soul Calibur custom control stick. Jimmi Choi is the local organizer of these regular double elimination tournaments and has been doing so for a number of years. It was a nice group of folks and they were very tolerant of me making photos while they were trying to concentrate on the battle at hand.